


Twisted Outside In

by Sylvia Knight (Gayle)



Category: Wiseguy
Genre: M/M, Zine: Risk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1997-01-01
Updated: 1997-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:42:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2390432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gayle/pseuds/Sylvia%20Knight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Old Wiseguy zinefic; proper headers coming shortly</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twisted Outside In

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in [Risk](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Risk_\(Wiseguy_and_Blake's_7_zine\)).

"Vinnie! Christ — Vinnie, hang in there."

A shout, a whisper, the voice drew him. Vinnie came out of darkness with pain screaming in his head — raw sensation shrilling with the scream of the siren as the ambulance raced through the street. Someone leaned over him, the face a wavering blur. Warm, hard hands squeezed one of his own.

"It's Sonny."

"Sonny," he repeated, meaning taking shape around the name. The face came into focus, love and fear etching the features.

"Hey, kid," Sonny said softly.

Vinnie moistened his lips with his tongue and tasted blood. "What happened?"

"You've been shot. Head wound. Not bad. You'll be okay."

"Shot?" He tried to concentrate. "I can't remember. It's a blank."

"Don't worry. I know who did it." The warm dark eyes became a black void. "Lorenzo."

"Lorenzo?" He struggled to remember. Who was Lorenzo?

"Take it easy," Sonny murmured soothingly, but his grip tightened, crushing Vinnie's fingers. He flexed them. Sonny looked down at their clasped hands and smiled apologetically. Reluctantly, he laid Vinnie's hand down.

It was like losing a lifeline. Vinnie reached out, clasping the retreating hand in both of his own. The renewed contact brought a barrage of memories —the intimate knowledge of those hands, the touch of their lips, their bodies. A door slamming behind him as he fled. Memory ended there. "I ran away from you," he said.

"It doesn't matter, Vinnie."

_When? Why?_

The pain wailed in his head, the siren screamed. Sonny's face faded, a waning brightness in the rising dark.

"Vinnie!" The voice held him.

"Am I dying?"

"You're too tough to kill," Sonny said. But he looked afraid. "Try to stay conscious. You may have a concussion — cracked your head on the concrete."

Death was breathing down his neck, and suddenly nothing mattered but Sonny. Anger, pride, fear — roiling emotions without form — Vinnie thrust them all away. He couldn't remember now why they had been so important. Nothing would stand between them. _Nothing_. "I love you," he said. "I love you. I never want to leave you."

Darkness swallowed him.

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴

Vinnie heard muffled voices outside the hospital room. Someone talking to the guard. He felt a rush of pleasure as Steelgrave entered. Sonny nodded to the nurse, who took his meaning swiftly and left. Sonny ambled over to Vinnie's bed, bending to kiss his temple close to the graze of the bullet wound. Then the mobile lips sought his own. Vinnie parted them, and their tongues touched briefly, sweetly. Sonny drew back, eyes gleaming. "Gotta get you home soon, kid."

"Sooner the better," Vinnie agreed. Two days and he was really antsy. The wound didn't hurt much, though the headaches were a bitch. More important, his memory was clearing.

Sonny perched on the edge of Vinnie's hospital bed, smiling lasciviously. He rubbed a finger tip along Vinnie's cock, making it stir beneath the covers, then drew his hand back with a small sound of regret. "We're both the noisy type. Try anything here, one of us will yell so loud we frighten the nurses." 

"Or the guard."

"Maybe I should send him off to fuck the nurses," Sonny suggested.

"Oh yeah?" Vinnie smiled. "No need for protection? We can screw each other into the mattress and not worry about Lorenzo popping us at the high point? Your nephew's been recalled to Sicily maybe?"

"Better than that. Even as we speak, the creep is sinking to the bottom of the ocean." Sonny straightened the knot on his tie, exuding satisfaction. "And you know what? He wasn't Lorenzo. He was some psycho named Tony San Martano, thought he'd cut himself a piece of my action." 

"He made the psycho part abundantly clear," Vinnie replied, raising his fingers to his temple. "I'm glad he wasn't really your nephew. It would have been a real shame not to off him."

"Yeah, when he was family I didn't feel free throttle him right off the bat. But he was dog meat as soon as he tried to take you out." Sonny looked like he'd wanted this San Martano alive, just so he could kill him again. "I wish I'd had the jerk checked out as soon as he docked. But he didn't seem totally nuts until that fight you had."

Glittering silver streaked across Vinnie's mind, San Martano whipping the fistful of car aerials across his neck. He flinched.

"You remember that?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, more of it." That night was still hazy. Actually, everything was hazy except the last few weeks since Steelgrave had taken Vinnie in on a whim. No, not a whim, some connecting current of energy that magnetized them from the first. Vinnie rubbed his neck ruefully, "I remember him zapping me. I smashed him."

"I thought you were gonna punch his guts through his nose." Sonny grinned. "Maybe castrate him for putting the moves on Gina Augustina."

Reaching out, Vinnie wove his fingers through Sonny's. "I'm sorry about that. I was so dumb."

Sonny raised Vinnie's hand to his lips and nipped at his knuckles. "It's okay, Vinnie. We both had stuff to work out. I got you back, that's all that matters."

Vinnie sighed, his head aching. He wondered why he ever thought the thing with Gina would work when Sonny was such a flame in his heart. Closing his eyes, he lay back on the pillows. The memory of the fight must have triggered something, because images began flashing like bits of broken mirror, reflecting fragments of the past …. 

He was back at the church social, Gina by his side. A stray breeze picked up some filaments of her pale hair, and it gleamed in the bright sun. She looked like an angel, and he was praying for salvation from the flame Sonny had lit in his cock, in his heart. It was crazy for a hood to get involved with a cop's widow, but crazy in a way Vinnie thought he needed — someone from the neighborhood, to make him feel at home with himself again. A woman whose softness could make him forget the hard demands of Sonny's body. A woman who could help him stay straight more ways than one.

But his sweet, sad angel didn't have much power when the devil himself sauntered onto the scene. Vinnie had a moment's satisfaction at Steelgrave's double take at the sight of the beautiful blonde, and slid his arm around her shoulders, but then he felt ashamed at the blatant manipulation, knowing he was just using her.

Steelgrave turned on the charm, teasing and flattering Gina, asking about Pete's church. Sonny's presence was so bizarrely incongruous at the social that Vinnie had a hard time not laughing. But there was an edginess in the air, and finally Gina excused herself and Vinnie let her go powder her nose or whatever while he dealt with Steelgrave. _Better get it over with_ , Vinnie thought. But he desperately wanted those minutes alone with Sonny, maybe his last, and followed him off behind the pie table and lemonade stand. His cock was having a hard time too, and he tried to stand so his incipient arousal wouldn't be noticeable. Sonny was being real discreet, and kept his eyes on Vinnie's face.

"I need you back, Vinnie."

No terms, leaving it open for him to negotiate. Vinnie just shook his head. Christ, he felt like such a coward, wanting Sonny so much and not reaching out to just take him.

"Don't run out on me now, Vinnie. I gotta have someone I can trust beside me until I get Cecil DaMonte back in line. Maybe my nephew will fit into the organization, but I don't know how he's grown up, how cool he'll be in a crisis. Meanwhile, Cecil wants to gut me, and Pat the Cat's waiting in the wings, licking his chops and thinking pretty cat thoughts about me flopping around in the street all covered with blood.

"Sonny — " 

Steelgrave lifted his hands, holding them palm out, shoulder high. "I swear I won't touch you, Vinnie. If you don't want it, I'm not going to push you."

Anger flared. Not want it? Vinnie was dying to lay Steelgrave out on the pie table and fuck his ass with lemon meringue for lube. One more word and he'd punch him, like he'd done the other night. Hit and run.

But Sonny didn't say another word. He just made a quick little gesture, managing to shrug his shoulders, tilt his head, and purse his lips all at once, apologizing, flirting, beckoning him back. Vinnie's anger unraveled, the frayed strands tangling with lust, exasperation, and protectiveness. Vinnie shook his head no, but what he said was, "All right, Sonny, I'll come back."

He saw the gleam of victory in Steelgrave's eyes. Other strands vibrated close to the anger. Something cold like vengeance, something heavy like resignation. Sonny moved to embrace him, then checked the movement, smiling lightly, balling his hands into fists. Vinnie's heart twisted. 

… Light and dark strobed. Slashes of pain. Vinnie knew there were pieces he wasn't seeing. But he couldn't imagine what else could be important. More fragments glittered ….

He'd gone back with Sonny. Right off, he'd met wacko Lorenzo, who Vinnie swiftly concluded should have been drowned at birth. Not knowing the real psycho was a fake nephew, he'd put his reservations in milder terms to Sonny, who wasn't real overjoyed with what had slouched down the gangplank either. Next thing, the meet with DaMonte blew up in their faces. Vinnie remembered bits of the rumble that went down, the spatter of gunfire. 

And then, that night, Steelgrave had invited Gina to dinner, which pissed Vinnie off royally. She didn't belong there in the first place, and Vinnie didn't want to sit there playing nice, pretending there was any hope for them. Maybe he was still going to leave Steelgrave, but it was already over between Gina and him. Even seething with anger at the table, he wanted to get his hands on Sonny, sexual frustration knotting up the residual adrenaline. So when sleazy Lorenzo started acting like he was in a whorehouse, Vinnie grabbed the chance to get Gina out of there. 

Sonny knew he'd screwed up, and was apologizing in the parking lot when Lorenzo pulled his stunt with the aerials. Already livid, Vinnie grabbed the sonofabitch and hammered into him. Lorenzo was sinewy, twisty and mean as a snake, knee going straight for his groin. Vinnie dodged it, slamming into Lorenzo with all his power and fury, dragging him down to the pavement. Sonny and the car attendant pulled them apart. Lorenzo had hurled a few death threats his way, but Vinnie wasn't expecting immediate retaliation. He took Gina home, refusing her offer for a cozy chat on the porch swing. He could see the defeat in her eyes when she kissed his cheek goodnight, goodbye. Morose, he headed back to the hotel — stupidly preoccupied. The rest was still a blank, but he figured Lorenzo must have followed him, first to Gina's, then back to the parking garage. He didn't have to remember getting shot to imagine Lorenzo's leering face, the black-eyed muzzle of the gun staring at him. An armed guard had rushed out at the sound of the first shot, or maybe phony Lorenzo would have taken time to put a second bullet in Vinnie's brain. 

Except for not remembering the shooting, he hadn't told Steelgrave how murky his other memories were. Vinnie felt like he'd practically been born the day he stumbled into Sonny's life. He didn't think the lapses posed a risk to the organization, they were mostly about stuff that happened before he met Steelgrave anyway. Usually the muddled pieces about working for Sonny cleared up if he got a cue. He figured the rest would come back soon.

"The guard said your brother was here again, while you were asleep," Sonny said, a little too casual.

"He should've woken me up." Vinnie frowned, oddly reluctant to see Pete. At least his brother had stood by him. He knew he must have been groggy the first time Pete showed up, since some of what he'd said hadn't made any sense — something about telling Mama before it was too late. Vinnie wanted to tell her he loved her, but she wouldn't let him near her, Pete knew that.

"Your mother still hasn't come," Sonny said, prodding. "I didn't know things were so bad between you."

The old pain cut into him, and he turned his face away. Then he made himself face Sonny. "My mother lives by rigid rules. I shamed her when I got busted, and she turned her back on me. I was supposed to be a doctor, or a lawyer. Or maybe a cop. Can't you just see me as a cop?"

His head pounded and he closed his eyes, choking back a moan. Sonny stroked his hair tenderly, his voice full of concern. "She's your mother. You love her. It's hard for you."

"Yes," he acknowledged. Anger rose through the hurt. "It was always like that, even when I was a kid. I was too wild. If I was good, then she loved me. If I did something bad, she froze me out. Wouldn't speak to me. Wouldn't even look at me unless it was to condemn me."

"Charm wouldn't work?" Sonny asked, teasing.

"Nah. She always makes me feel like I'm about four, caught showing mine to Maria Alonso. I just stand there shuffling my feet, waiting for hell to open up and swallow me."

"Wasn't it worth the peek at Maria?" Sonny winked. "No wonder you seem like such a boy scout sometimes."

Vinnie gave a snort of laughter. "Right. Half boy scout, half wiseguy.

"What about your father?"

"That was easier. He just hit me." Vinnie smiled grimly. "She was the power in the house though. She held us together … so tightly. Her love was like pillows, soft and comforting — then so smothering I thought I'd suffocate if I didn't escape."

"We're family now, Vinnie," Sonny whispered. And I love you just the way you are."

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴

One of the things Vinnie had forgotten was his new apartment in the hotel, though he remembered it as soon as Sonny brought him back to the door. As Vinnie stood in the doorway, another missing memory slid into place — Sonny trying to hide how flustered he was as he shrugged and muttered, "Got the decorators redoing the old place, Vinnie. I sorta trashed it after you left the other night." Then the confession had disturbed him, stirring lustful memories, even as he wondered just how thoroughly Steelgrave had wrecked the place in his rage. There were a lot of expensive breakables quick to hand. Now Vinnie smiled, savoring the memories and letting them mingle with bittersweet amusement as he walked into the new apartment. It was still high up and fitted with a private elevator, but it was a little smaller, the colors lighter, all over less glitzy, and Vinnie liked it better for its relative simplicity.

Christ, it was great to be out of the hospital. He went and took a real shower, and put on a fresh tee shirt and jeans. His head still hurt some, but he could ignore it, even forget about it if he kept his attention focused. Wandering back into the living room, Vinnie sat on the edge of the desk. Steelgrave was stalking back and forth, giving someone six versions of hell on the phone. It couldn't be too serious because Sonny was enjoying himself too much, sending off sparks of energy so that the air crackled around him.

Vinnie wondered again why he'd been such a fool, gotten so tangled up in guilt and fear that he'd run out on Steelgrave. What the fuck difference did it make that Sonny was a man? Why did he have to go off the deep end just because all he'd felt before was passing lust? He tried to recall feeling anything like this in the past. There had to have been a few other guys in prison, but that all seemed unreal — so meaningless he couldn't even remember really doing it. Sometimes he could picture a man kneeling in front of him in the joint, but never the blowjob that must have followed. The images stirred up a queasy mixture of loneliness and desire, disgust and anger. He didn't have any better memories of the gay bar scene, though he knew he'd gotten caught picking up some action there. Vinnie tried to see the face of the man that slimy fuck Patrice had his goons photograph him with in the alley ….

His head throbbed so fiercely Vinnie gave it up.

He'd told Sonny it was just cheap thrills, but he might as well never have done it at all, for all the thrill memory could conjure. None of that mattered anyway. He was over that bullshit of sneaking off, hiding that part of himself. He knew now what he wanted, and what he wanted was Sonny. And he was going to go for it. Maybe if the affair went sour, he'd lose his chance at building something inside Steelgrave's empire. Vinnie knew he was damn lucky to have risen so far so fast, but he got into this for the action, not the business. He wanted to live fast and hard, out on the edge. Maybe in a few years the business would be more important, but a few years wasn't now. _Now_ was loving Sonny. If Vinnie lost out on some theoretical future because one of them burned out on the sex first, so be it. It was just as likely some freak like Lorenzo would blow him away tomorrow. The kind of passion he had with Sonny was what made life worth living, and Vinnie was going to live every flaming second of it.

It wasn't perfect. He knew Steelgrave wasn't in love with him, but Sonny cared, Sonny wanted him. That was enough, more than enough with the power of the passion. If Steelgrave started taking him for granted, Vinnie figured he had the guts to cut free. 

Feeling this much passion was always dangerous, but if the fever burned down slow, there was no reason they couldn't stay friends. Maybe when they were both married guys with kids they'd look back and laugh at how hot they'd been for each other. Or maybe they'd get real lucky, and never stop feeling this way. If they kept respect, he and Sonny had a chance at the kind of trust few people shared ….

Fear hollowed him, shoals of sharp rock showing beneath the wild wave of exhilaration. Vinnie took a deep breath, refusing to look down, riding the crest. Shivers coursed through him as fear twisted, blurring into the rushing high of the risk. _Just keep moving . . . ._

Right now all he wanted was to get his teeth, his tongue, his cock into Sonny again.

Slamming down the receiver with a flourish, Steelgrave jammed his hands into his pockets. The motion hiked up his jacket in the back, showing off his ass. Sonny had a real cute ass, tight and round in those five hundred dollar slacks. He bounced on his toes a second, then turned around, flushed but not really pissed off — just relishing the adrenaline. Spinning around, Sonny discovered he was being watched, and Vinnie made no attempt to hide what he was thinking. 

Intrigued by his measuring gaze, Sonny sauntered over to stand in front of him. "You look like you got a plan in mind, Terranova."

"Yeah," Vinnie said. Sitting back on the desk, he looped his legs around Sonny's hips and pulled him close. "I got a plan to fuck you within an inch of your life."

"Ooooo," Sonny gave him one of those sharp little whimpers. His dark eyes appraised Vinnie under half-closed lids, then he drawled, "Vinnie, baby, you can cut it closer than that."

Vinnie locked him into a hard embrace, his cock surging to life between them. "Just how close do you want it, Sonny?"

"Right to the edge," he challenged.

"Then I'll take you there," Vinnie promised.

"Drive fast."

"Slow on the curves. Hard and fast in the stretch."

Taking Sonny's face in his hands, Vinnie began to kiss him, long, demanding, voluptuous kisses. There were little nips and nuzzles, lingering, dreamy licks interspersed with the voracious probing of his tongue, but whatever delicacy and gentleness Vinnie chose to use was for contrast. He wanted Steelgrave to feel his power every step of the way.

Sonny went with it, squirming in response, but letting Vinnie do what he wanted, lead where he wanted. He thought he could love Sonny for that alone. For someone as controlling Steelgrave to give himself over amazed and excited Vinnie. But he knew it would always be a tricky dance. Maybe what they had would only last as long as they could willingly trade that control back and forth in bed. But right now Sonny was riding on Vinnie's power with obvious delight. Vinnie knew Sonny liked fucking him better than anything else. Yet whatever Steelgrave did, he went for it all the way. If being fucked was the agenda, then Sonny would revel in it.

Smiling, Vinnie undressed Sonny, tossing his clothes onto the desk, the couch, the floor. Then he picked Sonny up and carried him to the bedroom. 

"You're a fucking romantic, you know?" Sonny scoffed. He wrapped his arms around Vinnie's shoulders affectionately, nipping at his jaw.

"Nah," Vinnie denied it. "Just testing out another possible position."

"You got a big dick, Terranova, but it ain't that big."

Laughing, Vinnie dropped him on the bed, then stripped off his own clothes. He knelt over Sonny, giving each nipple a sharp little bite, then heading south for the hottest action. He went down on Sonny, licking his cock with hot wet swipes, then drawing it into his mouth as he cupped and rolled a handful of balls. Sonny hissed encouragement, his fingers sinking into Vinnie's hair as he enveloped Sonny's cock in slow tight suction. Gradually, Vinnie quickened the wet pulls of his mouth, searching until he found the rhythm that got Sonny thrusting. Then Vinnie held him down and sucked him even harder, until Sonny's hips were bucking and twisting in his grip, desperate to fuck his mouth. Steelgrave groaned when he released him. Turning him over, Vinnie spread open Sonny's cheeks, blowing along the crack to make him squirm, watching the rosy brown asshole wink as the cool air teased over it. Leaning forward, Vinnie licked a hot wet path from balls to tail bone.

"Oh yeah, do that for me, baby. Do that," Sonny moaned. "You feel like velvet."

Vinnie's tongue flowed up and down the musky crevice, then traced his path back to the tight little ring. He flicked his tongue tip in the center, feeling the muscle expand and contract. When the circle opened again, he shoved his tongue inside. 

"Ah … Christ! Vinnie!" Sonny gasped, pressing back. "Don't stop. Don't stop —" Sonny seized his own cock, hand working feverishly. When it looked like one more stroke would send Steelgrave flying, Vinnie reached out and pulled his hand away, then went back to licking him, fucking him with wet jabs of his tongue. Sonny begged to come that way too, but Vinnie wouldn't let him, stopping whenever he seemed too close, wanting to draw out the agony even more. He loved the sound of Steelgrave's panting. Sonny was hyped up, the circle of muscle pulsing eagerly. He was hot enough that saliva was enough lubricant, but on impulse Vinnie opened the beside table drawer, and laughed when he found a fat new tube.

"Thinking ahead?" Vinnie asked, squeezing out some lube then dropping it on the sheets. He used two slick fingers to open Sonny further, spreading gel inside the hot channel.

"Head would be nice," Sonny managed to rasp. "But I'd rather get fucked."

"You got it, Sonny."

Drawing out his fingers, Vinnie set the head of his cock against Sonny's asshole. He rubbed there slowly, not caring about his own ache, teasing back and forth across the hot puckered mouth. 

"Come on," Sonny growled in frustration.

Holding himself still, Vinnie smiled and whispered. "Come and get it."

Sensation flared through every nerve as Sonny shoved his ass back to take the head inside the tight tunnel. Sucking in his breath, Vinnie grabbed Sonny's hips to stop himself from coming. He held gripped hard until he had control again, then eased his hold, letting Sonny twist restlessly, trying to screw his cock in deeper. He watched, letting Sonny climb up his cock. He waited till Sonny had taken almost all of him inside, pulled back, leaving just his head inside the tight hole, then thrust in suddenly. Sonny cried out, shoving back to meet him. Vinnie began to fuck him, slow and hard, holding Sonny's ass and plunging into him. Vinnie loved the feel of the firm cheeks in his hands. He spread them wide, watching his cock pushing into the tight-stretched orifice, then squeezed the mounds together, pressing them close about his thrusting cock. The hot skin licked every centimeter of his shaft as he plunged inside. He built the slow rhythm to a series of driving thrusts until Sonny was semi-coherent, moaning his name and please and prayers and curses in broken fragments.

"On the edge, Sonny?" Vinnie asked, lust and triumph burning through his veins, wilder, purer, than any drug.

There were a couple of breathless gasps, and then a recognizable, "Yeah."

"Hold tight. I'm taking you over."

Pressing closer, Vinnie let loose, hips battering wildly, finding and matching the frenetic speed Steelgrave craved. Pushing it further. Heat poured over Vinnie, a nuclear meltdown. He reached around Sonny, grasping his straining cock and pumping it mercilessly. Sonny screamed his name, his cock jerking as he came. On the edge himself, Vinnie pounded into him, erupting in cataclysmic bursts, shouting with every obliterating, white hot pulse of come.

Sonny lay beneath him, panting and whimpering in the aftermath of his orgasm. Vinnie felt more energized than enervated. In fact, he felt goddamned triumphant. He knew how possessive Steelgrave was. With all that had happened between them in bed, Sonny figured he owned Vinnie Terranova cock and soul. Well tonight, for a little while, he had owned Sonny Steelgrave. And it had been every bit as sweet as he thought it would. 

Sonny grunted softly as he pulled out. Vinnie went and grabbed a towel from the bathroom and cleaned them up. Tossing it aside, he lay down beside Sonny and began to stroke him, his hands moving in gestures half caress and half massage over Sonny's shoulders, his back, and those firm, round buns. Steelgrave had already drifted from incoherent into semi-conscious, and Vinnie figured Sonny would fall asleep, but he just went on making those funny little noises of his. Vinnie tried different caresses on different places, seeing if there was any correlation of touch to sound, and rewarded his favorites with kisses. When he chuckled softly at a weird little chirrup, Sonny opened one eye and peered over his shoulder.

"Christ, you look smug," Sonny managed to mutter. His hair was sweaty, mussed into little punk spikes that made Vinnie smile.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I got a reason."

"Yeah, maybe you do at that." Sonny gave him a sheepish grin. "Uummummph … I am gonna be sore tomorrow."

"And I am gonna watch you every time you sit down," Vinnie gloated. "Every time you shift your ass, I'm going to remember sliding my cock in up to the hilt."

"Just you wait," Sonny said, looking flushed. "I'm gonna get my own back double."

Vinnie leaned close and breathed in his ear, "I knew that every second I was ramming it home. Made sure I gave you something to live up to, didn't I?" He was getting hard again, just thinking about it.

"Jesus, kid," Sonny moaned, as Vinnie's cock prodded his thigh. "You milked me dry."

Most of the time, Vinnie figured Sonny had more energy than he did — now he just grinned. "Don't worry, if you can't handle any more, there's always a cold shower waiting to cool me down."

"Oh, I can handle it." Turning over, Sonny reached out and stroked Vinnie's cock lazily, watching it surge with new blood.

"You sure you know what you're doing?"

"What's it feel like?" Sonny asked, giving the shaft a long, slow, hard pull.

"Like you got your hands full," Vinnie retorted, then moaned as Sonny slid his thumb over the tender slit. His cock stretched and throbbed as Sonny spread the oozing precome around the head. He moaned in frustration when Sonny let go.

"That's too good to waste," Sonny said, rolling onto his back and urging Vinnie to straddle him. "Come on, jerk off on me. I want to watch you come."

Vinnie was getting hot fast, but he masturbated slowly, doing what felt good, what Sonny asked to see. Steelgrave watched him intently, seeing how he liked to touch himself. At first, still enervated and indolent, Sonny only lazily caressed Vinnie's thighs, murmuring softly when the rising excitement sparked between them. Then he began to knead the hard muscle, his deft hand pressing up toward Vinnie's crotch. Reaching out, Sonny grabbed the gel tube, squeezed some onto his fingers, then dropped it back on the bed. The angle was a little awkward, but he slid a hand between Vinnie's legs, palm brushing his balls affectionately. His fingers slid into Vinnie's ass crack, rubbing salacious circles around his anus then teasing the tight hole. Vinnie moaned encouragement, and Sonny pressed one slick finger inside him, slowly swirling it deeper and deeper. 

"Good?" Sonny asked, watching his rising excitement through half closed lids.

"Yes," Vinnie gasped. It was heaven.

"Feels good to me too. You let me slide into you easy now. You feel like satin inside." Like spinning into a whirlpool, Sonny fit in a second finger, moving to Vinnie's quickening rhythm. Vinnie gripped his shaft tighter, pumping faster.

"Uummm yeah," Sonny coaxed. "Love that big cock of yours. Goddamned tower. Feels so good when you push it inside of me. Come on, squeeze it, baby. Squeeze it tight."

Vinnie went with the words, feeling the heat grow fiercer and hotter. Riding the rising pleasure, he pulled upward, squeezing the sensitive head over and over as he rolled his balls with his other hand. Heat pulsed, spreading sweet waves of fire throughout his body. His cock, his balls, drew tauter with every stroke of his hand.

"You're so beautiful," Sonny whispered suddenly. "So fucking beautiful."

Lightning might as well have struck. Vinnie arched, rigid in the grip of the ferocious orgasm, only his hands moving with a life of their own as they pumped his spuming cock. Sonny's voice urged his pleasure, and Sonny's fingers delved deeper inside him. They pressed hard, striking a flaring nova in his brain, then twisted out for a final excruciating pang of ecstasy. Vinnie cried out, the last spurt of come shooting hot and white out of his body.

"God . . . god . . . god," he moaned, leaning over Sonny. Every molecule hummed sweetly in aftermath. "Oh god."

"Yeah, I know," Sonny murmured.

Sweat dripped from Vinnie's forehead onto Sonny, mingling with the streaks of jism spattering his belly, his chest, his face. "I'll get another towel," Vinnie said, after he had recovered coherence.

"No," Sonny said. "Lick it off." 

Stunned, Vinnie only stared at him. 

"Lick it off," Sonny repeated, drawling the words with erotic yearning.

It put him off for a second, but drinking Sonny's come didn't seem obscene, so what was wrong with tasting his own? If that's what Sonny wanted, he'd do it and do it right. Leaning down, Vinnie made himself carry it off as if the idea was as sexy for him as it was for Sonny, his tongue slowly caressing Sonny's torso as Vinnie licked up his own spilled seed. Even mingled with the salt of their sweat he could taste the difference in their semen. His tasted both more sweet and more sour. Sonny had a spicy sharpness that he missed. All the while, Sonny murmured in that salacious undertone that was a caress, his cock nudging Vinnie's thigh with each matching stroke of his tongue. A streak lay over Sonny's nipple and Vinnie licked that and sucked the nipple taut. He nuzzled Sonny's throat, his cheek. Then Sonny turned to meet his mouth in a kiss of slow exploration. Their mouths fused, their tongues meeting to share the same erotic flavors. 

Sonny's cock was throbbing against Vinnie's thigh now. "Not out of juice after all," he whispered as he drew back from the kiss. "Why don't you drink it straight from the spigot?"

Vinnie slid down Sonny's body, loving the inhaled hiss he gave when Vinnie claimed his cock in a long slow suck. They were in perfect synch. Vinnie could feel the excitement he pulled through Sonny's body with every sweetly voracious tug of his mouth. Pleasure built smooth and steady, building in waves that finally peaked and overflowed, filling his mouth with spurting seed. Vinnie didn't swallow. He saved the bittersweet gift for Steelgrave to drink down. Sliding his mouth off Sonny's softening cock, Vinnie lifted his gaze to meet dark eyes filled with knowledge and hunger. Vinnie leaned forward, his heart pounding madly. Sonny's head tilted to meet him, mouth opening to receive the warm seed. Vinnie shuddered when Sonny sucked the fluid from his mouth, swallowed it. The supple tongue twined with his own in a parting caress. 

Vinnie drew back, his gaze holding Sonny's. The power of the ritual throbbed between them, primal as a blood oath.

"Forever," he whispered, not carrying how foolish it was. "I'll love you forever."

"Forever," Sonny answered, the soft syllables falling into Vinnie's mind, round and smoothly textured as pebbles, their sweet weight luring him down into sleep.

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴

Maybe it was the sound of Sonny leaving that woke Vinnie, because the empty bed was still warm and morning sun filtered through the windows. He wondered if Sonny had gone down to the office, or just to get a paper or something. Maybe he'd left a note. Pulling on his robe, Vinnie wandered out to the living room. Just as he entered, his ears picked up the soft whine and whoosh of the elevator.

The metal doors slid open, only it wasn't Sonny who sashayed out, but a nondescript waiter in a red jacket, silver tray balanced on his shoulder. Vinnie stared at him, suddenly so dizzy he had to brace his hand on the door jamb. He watched as the waiter laid down the tray, walked over to his stereo, turned it on and cranked up the volume. Watched as the man turned, glasses flashing light, the muscles of his face quivering into a snarl.

"Couldn't you find one fucking minute to phone?"

The rasp of the voice twisted Vince's brain inside out with an agonizing wrench. Nausea overwhelmed him. He staggered into the bathroom and crouched over the toilet, vomiting violently. Waves of memory crashed and twisted, buffeting him. His stomach heaved again and again.

"Christ, Vince." McPike knelt beside him, holding his head and shoulders as he retched. "Should you have left the hospital?"

At the moment, Vince wished he never been born. But his brain was busy sorting alibis in between the bouts of nausea. Only he didn't have to lie, the truth would work. "I was never alone until just now, not when I was awake. Sonny kept watch." In case that roused suspicion he added. "Or a nurse … a guard."

"Your chart didn't show a concussion. You need more x-rays."

"No, I'm okay. Just woke up. Headache. Nausea." He leaned over the toilet, panting. What he needed was to be alone. Sort out this mess. But what happened was Sonny barging through the door, pushing Frank out of the way. Terror clawed at Vince, but Steelgrave didn't recognize McPike. He hardly even looked at him. All his attention was for Vince, kneeling beside him, holding his shoulders. Sonny's hands were gentle, firm. Their heat burned through his skin, sending a wave of longing through Vince. His guts heaved again, and he vomited up the last of the lie he'd been telling himself. He was left with the truth. He loved Sonny, but he was still a cop, not a hood. He couldn't become who he'd pretended to be.

"Is it over?" Sonny asked. "You all right?"

"Yes," he answered. "No."

"I'm taking you back to the hospital."

Another metallic whir signaled the elevator doors were closing as McPike beat a hasty retreat. Good. One danger gone. "No, I just flashed back on getting shot — relived it. Made me sick. I'll be okay."

Another twisted truth. Every memory was locked back in place now, implacable as the muzzle of Lorenzo's gun, crazy as his demented smile. Vince shivered violently. He knew the lie he'd escaped into would have gotten him killed. Ironic that it hadn't been falling in love with a man that made Vinnie run out — it was falling in love with a mobster.

Steelgrave rose and Vince heard water running in the sink. Kneeling beside him again, Sonny bathed Vince's face with the damp cloth. He leaned against Sonny for a minute, as much for the tenderness as the cooling ease of the cloth. Sonny offered him a glass of water and Vinnie rinsed his mouth and spat into the toilet. He rose, flushed the toilet, and walked out into the living room. He felt weak, empty, and clear-headed. Sonny followed, brows drawn into a frown, concern clouding his eyes. He laid a warm hand on Vince's shoulder then withdrew it when he tensed.

"Vinnie? You sure you're okay?"

"I love you," he said, feeling the hopelessness of it hollowing his voice. There was no escape from the love. No escape from who he was. He couldn't be Vinnie the Hood. But he couldn't be Vinnie the Cop anymore either, not if it meant destroying Sonny. The only choice left was to leave.

But not just yet.


End file.
